//------------------------------//
// Chapter 18 
// Story: Shadowy Love 
// by FinnPony 
//------------------------------//


Shadowy Love
By FinnPony
Chapter 18


A white stallion stood on a balcony facing a dark night sky. Under his gaze opened a sight of a sleeping city that was peacefully unaware that the pony who had once enslaved them was on the loose again. The stallion breathed in the breezy wind and exhaled it out from his nostrils, leaning over the handrail of the balcony. He could see a powerful, ice blue light radiating from under the mighty castle he and her wife called home. The light told him that everything was right. The Crystal Heart was still in it’s place, protecting his empire from all the evil that haunts it.

The evil that made him wake up almost every night, cold sweat on his brow and the horrible images of red eyes with green glowing sclera and purple flames burning around them still in front of him. Like so many nights before, he had once again woken up from the same nightmare, but this night he had business to do.

The stallion stared at the glow under him for a long moment, before he noticed a silhouette of a flying pegasus swooshing from under the castle. The shadow quickly rose upwards on the sky, and was soon on his level. As it got closer, he could see the moon’s light reflecting from the pegasus’ golden breastplate and helmet. His visitor flew over his head, before making a sharp turn and flaring his wings open to reduce his speed quickly. The orange stallion landed with a quiet thud and quickly snapped into a salute.

“Corporal Flash Sentry reporting in, Sir,” the orange pony said sternly.
“At ease Flash,” Shining Armor said to Flash, who lowered his right fore-hoof from his forehead. Shining continued, “How did your trip here go?”
“It went well Sir,” Flash answered. He looked at Shining with a troubled look and said, “I didn’t like telling lies to Twilight, but I did as you asked.”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Shining Armor noted, glancing at him with raised eyebrow. 
Flash chuckled sheepishly, and then quickly said “Yes, of course Sir.”

Shining Armor sighed and turned around, looking at his empire again. He nodded his head towards his left, and Flash Sentry trotted next to him. He too eyed at the sleeping city.
“I am not stupid Flash,” Shining said, and Flash Sentry gulped.
“What do you mean Sir?” Flash asked, his voice breaking a bit.
Shining Armor kept looking at the city when he spoke, “I know that you are very fond of my sister.”
Flash didn’t know what to say, but luckily he didn’t need to. Shining Armor turned to look straight at him, making him feel rather uncomfortable.
Shining Armor continued with serious tone, “That is why I am trusting you with this job. I know that you would never hurt Twily.”
“Of course not!” Flash said with stern look in his eyes. “I could never do that!”
Shining nodded approvingly, but the stern look in Flash eyes turned into a expression of confuse, and he asked, a bit less eager this time, “Um… What kind of a job are we talking here, Sir?”

Shining Armor seemed to hesitate for a moment, a troubled frown on his face.
“I believe that you aren’t any more happier about the visitor that lives in Twilight’s castle than I am?” he asked from the orange stallion, whose expression got grimmer.
“I am not, Sir,” Flash said, visible hatred on his face. Shining liked that. It seemed that he had picked up the right pony.
“I know that Twilight thinks that she is safe, but we both know that we can never trust that… that monster,” Shining said quietly.
“I agree,” Flash said. “He hasn’t changed. I can feel it Sir, but Twi… Princess Twilight doesn’t see that.”
Shining nodded. He gave Flash a serious look, and said, “I want you to protect my sister from him. From now on you will report straight to me every friday, telling me what has happened, or if you have any suspicions about Sombra’s intention with my sister.”
He was silent for a short moment, before he added, “And do whatever to keep her safe, kill him if it comes to that.”
“I will do as you command, Sir,” Flash said, but then he added with a bit unsure tone, “But I am sure that Princess Twilight won’t agree with this.”

Pained expression spread on Shining Armor’s face, and he closed his eyes. He took a deep breath before answering with voice just barely audible, “She doesn’t need to know.”
“But Sir…” Flash started.
“No buts,” Shining said angrily. “You are under my command and you will do as I tell you.”
Flash was quiet, and there was almost fear visible in his eyes. Shining saw that and sighed deeply, before saying, “Sorry Flash. I’m a bit on the edge right now, but please understand, Twilight is everything to me.”
“I do understand Sir,” Flash said to him. They were quiet for a short moment, before Flash continued, “I will do as you command, Sir.”
“Thank you Flash,” Shining said and gave him a small smile. 

A sudden sound from behind them startled them, and they saw light being lit behind the curtains of the big glass doors that led to Shining Armor’s and his wife’s bedroom. They glanced at each other quickly, and Flash jumped on the handrail of the balcony. The light was getting closer, and Shining Armor hurried Flash, “Get going already! Return to Ponyville tomorrow, don’t gather any unwanted attention towards yourself!”
“Yes Sir!” Flash exclaimed quietly, but then he thought about the question again, and said, “I mean… No Sir?”
Shining rolled his eyes at him. Flash coughed nervously and leaned over the handrail. He took a final look towards Shining Armor.
“She means everything to me too, Sir,” he said with straight face and jumped down to the night sky. Just in time.

“Shining? What are you doing out here?” a beautiful voice asked and Shining Armor turned around, only to see a sight that made him sigh. There stood a pink alicorn with messy violet mane with cerise and light blue streaks in it. Her tail was as messy as her mane was, showing that she had just woken up. Her wings weren’t preened either, couple of feathers sticking in different directions from the rest of them. 

She looked at her husband with worried look in her purple eyes, asking, “Nightmares again?”
“Noo…” Shining Armor dragged the word, only fuelling his wife’s suspicions. Shining knew that and after couple of seconds he said, “Yes.”
He told himself that he wasn’t lying to her, because nightmare had actually woken him up earlier. 
“Oh Shining,” Cadence said sadly and trotted next to his husband, wrapping a wing around him. “Is it the same?”
“Yes,” he answered again. “Almost every night after… after he...”
He couldn’t finish. He gathered courage and continued, “I see you leaving me again, but this time I see him too, doing horrible things to Twilight…”
He stopped, not able to continue. He craned his neck to muzzle Cadence’s cheek. She returned the gesture. before saying with angry tone that resembled almost a growl, “I promise you… That monster will pay.”
Shining gave a weird look towards her, before a hateful frown appeared onto his face too. He pressed his cheek against hers and whispered, “I know he will. And if he even touches Twily…”
Cadence shushed at him, calming him down a bit. She then gave his lips a small peck and said, “Then he will not see the next morning, but you must trust your little sister.”
“I know, I know,” Shining Armor said. “But if it depended on me, I would send Sombra back to the permafrost.”
“We both would,” Cadence said calmly. “But we don’t want to do the same mistakes that auntie did. Twilight is still a bit unsure of herself because of it I think.”
“Yeah…” Shining sighed. “You have to understand though… Brothers protect their sisters. That’s the thing we do. At any cost.”
“Of course,” Cadence said gently. “I understand, and you also protect her by trusting her. That is something not many others do.”
“I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her in any way,” Shining Armor said and stared at the city down below him. 

He felt his wife’s muzzle rubbing against his neck affectionately. Her wing around him held him a bit tighter and she gave a soft kiss to his cheek.
“I know honey,” she said quietly, and they just stared at their empire in silence for a while. Cadence shifted against his side and said, “I’m going back to bed. Come with me honey.”
“Why bother?” Shining said a bit sadly. “I can’t sleep anyway.”
Cadence smirked and turned around, swatting his nose with her tail. Shining grunted annoyedly, but when he turned to look at his wife, she had the most seductive look in her purple eyes.
“Who spoke anything about sleeping?” she asked and winked temptingly. With that she turned around and started to walk towards the door that lead to their bed chambers, surely swaying her hips more than usually and stretching her disheveled wings.

Shining Armor stared after her, wide eyed. He stood still for a moment, before snorting excitedly and trotting after his wife.